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Elkhorn River at Neligh

Highest listed crest 15.54 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft99 crests since 1932

The Elkhorn River at Neligh crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 99 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1932 to 2024. The highest, 15.54 ft on June 14, 2010, was major flooding, 4.54 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Elkhorn River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.54 ft
June 14, 2010; 42,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2019
11.48 ft, minor flooding
Location
Antelope County
Nebraska

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Elkhorn River at Neligh
Action stage9.012May 31, 2008The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.02Mar 14, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.03May 30, 1995Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.01Jun 14, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

99 crests from 1932 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhorn River at Neligh, 1932 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Jun 11, 1932: 3.64 ft, below flood stage; 406 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1933: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 596 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1934: 4.27 ft, below flood stage; 456 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1935: 9.44 ft, action stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1936: 4.58 ft, below flood stage; 634 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1937: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 830 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1938: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1939: 4.28 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 1939: 3.73 ft, below flood stage; 366 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1940: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 663 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1941: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 594 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1942: 8.34 ft, below flood stage; 2,890 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1943: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1944: 9.13 ft, action stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1945: 5.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1946: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1947: 12.53 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1948: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 879 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1949: 10.98 ft, action stage; 8,890 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1950: 7.27 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 1950: 7.17 ft, below flood stage; 3,270 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1951: 10.62 ft, action stage; 9,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1952: 7.66 ft, below flood stageApr 1, 1952: 7.59 ft, below flood stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1953: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 4,900 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1954: 5.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1954: 5.92 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 1955: 4.14 ft, below flood stage; 664 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1957: 8.07 ft, below flood stage; 3,860 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1958: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1960: 12.24 ft, moderate flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1961: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 703 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1962: 9.17 ft, action stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1963: 4.41 ft, below flood stageMar 24, 1963: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 728 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1964: 5.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1965: 6.74 ft, below flood stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1966: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1967: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 6,880 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1968: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 726 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1969: 7.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1970: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 3,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1971: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1972: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1973: 6.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1974: 5.19 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 1974: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 704 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1975: 5.03 ft, below flood stage; 914 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1976: 5.22 ft, below flood stageMar 21, 1976: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1977: 6.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 7.91 ft, below flood stage; 5,540 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1979: 7.24 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1980: 7.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1981: 5.71 ft, below flood stage; 676 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1982: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 4,670 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1983: 9.93 ft, action stage; 6,950 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1984: 9.49 ft, action stage; 6,300 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1985: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1986: 8.17 ft, below flood stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1987: 11.99 ft, minor flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1988: 5.41 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1989: 3.77 ft, below flood stageJun 15, 1990: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1991: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1992: 5.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1993: 9.32 ft, action stage; 6,440 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1994: 6.56 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1995: 13.37 ft, moderate flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1996: 9.70 ft, action stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1997: 5.35 ft, below flood stageApr 9, 1998: 6.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,820 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1999: 10.79 ft, action stage; 8,980 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2000: 3.91 ft, below flood stage; 884 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2001: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 7,440 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2001: 3.52 ft, below flood stageMar 16, 2002: 3.44 ft, below flood stage; 498 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2003: 4.30 ft, below flood stage; 982 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 474 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2005: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2006: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2007: 9.98 ft, action stage; 8,090 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2008: 9.89 ft, action stage; 7,930 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2009: 4.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2010: 15.54 ft, major flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2011: 5.09 ft, below flood stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2012: 3.25 ft, below flood stageMay 30, 2013: 3.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2014: 2.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2015: 3.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2016: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 8,370 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2017: 6.63 ft, below flood stage; 7,220 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2018: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 11.48 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2020: 5.63 ft, below flood stageMar 25, 2021: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 3.93 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2023: 5.08 ft, below flood stageFeb 8, 2024: 6.43 ft, below flood stage Highest, 15.54 ft, Jun 14, 2010 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhorn River at Neligh 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 5.24 ft on Apr 17, 1997.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 99 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Elkhorn River at Neligh
1Jun 14, 201015.54+4.54Major42,500
2May 30, 199513.37+2.37Moderate19,300
3Jun 23, 194712.53+1.53Moderate12,000
4Mar 29, 196012.24+1.24Moderate12,300
5Mar 19, 198711.99+0.99Minor14,100
6Mar 14, 201911.48+0.48Minor20,200
7Apr 7, 194910.98−0.02Action8,890
8May 7, 199910.79−0.21Action8,980
9May 19, 195110.62−0.38Action9,030
10Apr 26, 20079.98−1.02Action8,090
11Apr 2, 19839.93−1.07Action6,950
12May 31, 20089.89−1.11Action7,930
13Jun 1, 19969.70−1.30Action8,140
14Apr 9, 19849.49−1.51Action6,300
15Jun 3, 19359.44−1.56Action4,610
16May 11, 19939.32−1.68Action6,440
17Jun 10, 19629.17−1.83Action10,800
18May 6, 19449.13−1.87Action4,010
19Jun 1, 19828.74−2.26Below flood stage4,670
20Apr 25, 20018.73−2.27Below flood stage7,440
21May 18, 19428.34−2.66Below flood stage2,890
22Jun 10, 19678.32−2.68Below flood stage6,880
23Sep 21, 19868.17−2.83Below flood stage4,260
24May 5, 19538.13−2.87Below flood stage4,900
25Jun 16, 19578.07−2.93Below flood stage3,860
26Mar 22, 19787.91−3.09Below flood stage5,540
27Feb 16, 19527.66−3.34Below flood stage—
28Apr 1, 19527.59−3.41Below flood stage3,800
29Mar 27, 19507.27−3.73Below flood stage—
30Apr 6, 19807.26−3.74Below flood stage2,970
31Mar 18, 19797.24−3.76Below flood stage1,500
32May 17, 19727.23−3.77Below flood stage3,640
33Apr 2, 19507.17−3.83Below flood stage3,270
34Apr 3, 19697.10−3.90Below flood stage3,020
35May 2, 20167.04−3.96Below flood stage8,370
36Apr 7, 19586.78−4.22Below flood stage2,560
37Jun 14, 19656.74−4.26Below flood stage2,910
38Apr 21, 19706.66−4.34Below flood stage3,160
39Jun 4, 20056.64−4.36Below flood stage3,450
40Oct 9, 20176.63−4.37Below flood stage7,220
41Mar 5, 19946.56−4.44Below flood stage2,920
42Jun 23, 19776.54−4.46Below flood stage1,800
43Apr 30, 19856.52−4.48Below flood stage2,380
44Apr 9, 19986.49−4.51Below flood stage2,820
45Feb 8, 20246.43−4.57Below flood stage—
46Apr 17, 19736.39−4.61Below flood stage2,290
47Jun 17, 19436.33−4.67Below flood stage1,380
48Apr 10, 20066.10−4.90Below flood stage3,180
49May 18, 19386.04−4.96Below flood stage1,020
50Feb 18, 19716.03−4.97Below flood stage1,910

The worst floods along the Elkhorn River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Elkhorn River that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 14, 2010: 15.54 ft here, major flooding

  • NorfolkNE · Jun 15, 2010 · 17.22 ft · Major · its highest
  • EwingNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 13.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • AtkinsonNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 10.27 ft · Major · its highest
  • WinslowNE · Jun 15, 2010 · 20.40 ft · Moderate
  • WaterlooNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 18.77 ft · Moderate
  • TildenNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 16.14 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • PilgerNE · Jun 16, 2010 · 15.18 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Jun 17, 2010 · 15.21 ft · Minor

May 30, 1995: 13.37 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NorfolkNE · May 31, 1995 · 13.05 ft · Moderate
  • AtkinsonNE · May 29, 1995 · 9.27 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Jun 1, 1995 · 12.67 ft · Minor

June 23, 1947: 12.53 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Elkhorn River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Elkhorn River
EwingNE9.013.26 ft, Jun 14, 20101
Neligh this gaugeNE11.015.54 ft, Jun 14, 20101
NorfolkNE12.017.22 ft, Jun 15, 20101
PilgerNE12.019.85 ft, Feb 26, 20022
WaterlooNE14.024.68 ft, Mar 16, 20191
West PointNE12.018.60 ft, Mar 9, 19934
AtkinsonNE7.510.27 ft, Jun 14, 20101
TildenNE15.016.14 ft, Jun 14, 20100
WinslowNE17.024.14 ft, Mar 14, 20191

Antelope County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Nebraska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NLIN1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.